Buhari orders Relocation of Central Military Command from Abuja to Maiduguri
President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the central command of the military move base from Abuja to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, in efforts to intensify the fight against Boko Haram insurgency.
President Buhari who gave the directive in his inaugural speech, said the move is necessary as it is impossible to achieve victory against the insurgents as long as the command operates from Abuja, adding that the command center would relocate and remain in Maiduguri until the insurgents were subdued.
He also pleaded with Nigerians to be patient with his administration as it settles down faces the many challenges in the nation.
He said: “My appeal for unity is predicated on the seriousness of the legacy we are getting into. With depleted foreign reserves, falling oil prices, leakages and debts, the Nigerian economy is in deep trouble.
“It will require careful management to bring it round and to tackle the immediate challenges confronting us, namely, Boko Haram, the Niger Delta situation, the power shortages and unemployment, especially among young people.
“The most immediate is Boko Haram insurgency. Progress has been made in recent weeks by our security forces but victory cannot be achieved by basing the Command and Control Centre in Abuja. The command centre will be relocated to Maiduguri and remain there until Boko Haram is completely subdued.
“We cannot claim to have defeated Boko Haram without rescuing the Chibok girls and all other innocent persons held hostage by insurgents.
“This government will do all it can to rescue them alive. Boko Haram is a typical example of small fires causing large fires. An eccentric and unorthodox preacher with a tiny following was given posthumous fame following his extra judicial murder at the hands of the police.
“Since then, through official bungling, negligence, complacency or collusion, Boko Haram became a terrifying force taking tens of thousands of lives and capturing several towns and villages covering swathes of Nigerian sovereign territory.
‘Boko Haram is a mindless, godless group who are as far away from Islam as one can think of.
“At the end of the hostilities when the group is subdued the Government intends to commission a sociological study to determine its origins and the remote and immediate causes of the movement.
“We will also determine its sponsors, the international connections and ensure that measures are taken to prevent a recurrence of this evil.”
He also promised to look into other issues of insecurity, including kidnapping, armed robbery, herdsmen/farmers clashes and cattle rustlings, in the country.
“We are going to erect and maintain an efficient, disciplined people, friendly and well-compensated security forces within overall security architecture,” he stressed.
